Tape spool holder



Jan. 2, 1968 H. J. KRATT ET AL 3,361,378

TAPE SPOOL HOLDER Filed Sept. 8, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS HENRY .1. KRATT W/L LIAM 0; PARKER ATTORNEY Jan. 2, 1968 KRATT ET AL 3,361,378

TAPE SPOOL HOLDER Filed Sept. 8, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet z INVENTORS. HENRY J. KHATT WILL/AM 0. PARKER ATTORNE Y United States Patent 3,361,378 TAPE SPOGL HGLDER Henry J. Kraft and William D. Parker, Tulsa, Okla, as-

signors to Remco Manufacturing C0,, Inc., Tulsa, Okla, a corporation of Oklahoma Filed Sept. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 577,946 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-68.3)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tape spool holder useful for holding cylindrical spools of wrapping material with means for adjusting the tension holding the spools of wrapping material.

This invention relates to a tape spool holder useful for holding various types of spooled tape, the material therein of which is used for covering cylindrical bodies such as piping and other types of tubular articles.

The tape spool holder which we shall describe more fully is to be used preferably in conjunction with a commercial pipe-wrapping machine which field wraps fabricated steel pipe to be placed either above or below the ground. However, it should be understood that the utility of the tape spool holder is not confined to pipe-wrapping machines, but is also adaptable to other commercial installations whose purpose it is to wrap fabrics, adhesivecoated plastics, paper tape and other types of tape around bodies having other than a cylindrical shape, for example, a body having a square edged longitudinal shape. The particular commercial installation to which We shall refer operates by rotating the body in a lineal path through a pipe-wrapping machine with the tape spool holders positioned angularly in relationship to the rotating body. There are other types of wrapping machines in which tape spool holders themselves are mounted on rotating member which move in a circular path covering the selected object which moves in a lineal direction equidistant from the tape spool holders.

In installations Where the operation is designed to cover pipe in the field, this new and improved tape spool holder is used in conjunction with machinery designed for this purpose. For instance, the patent to L. Perrault, No. 2,405,446 issued Aug. 6, 1946, is cited as a reference to show apparatus which includes tape spool holders as part of the operation. The patentee refers to these in his specifications as roll-supporting devices. The rollsupporting device which patentee discloses therein is cumbersome, heavy and requires considerable time to change or reload the tape spools. The required number of parts and their association shown in the Perrault patent .are complex and are entirely different from the construction of our device. The new and improved tape spool holder which we have invented is simple in design requiring fewer parts and a much more simple operation. The new and improved tape spool holder does not require complete disassembly to reload with a new roll of tape or to change to a different type of covering. The principal of operation is entirely new in this field, including among other features a new means of controlling the tension on the spool and ease in changing spools of material to be used as covering for the surface of the object passing through the wrapping machine. The number of moving parts are at a minimum; no tools are required to make changes and adjustment; and less than one minute is required to change the tape spools.

The prior art discloses various type of gripping devices for securing cylindrical objects on round surfaces, but all of these devices lack the features of our invention as will be shown in the following paragraphs.

Reference is made to the Patent No. 1,122,627 issued Dec. 29, 1914 to S. Milne. The patentee in his disclosure shows a rolling action of a cam, the cam moving on a logarithmic curve, a curve which is not commercially feasible to machine and, when made applicable to this operation, does not operate satisfactorily. The surface in which our tape spool roller operates is set at degrees to the center axis and requires less rotation to lock and unlock. The patent to Pelletier, No. 3,006,565 issued Oct. 31, 1961, shows a bobbin clutch, the rollers of which are actuated by a center cam. The center cam creates direct pressure from the center section. This type of roller tends to create a great amount of slippage. This type of design does not develop rolling pressure as shown in our invention. In addition, the moving parts of the cam operation require precision combination to operate. The patent to Dadd, No. 2,798,678 issued July 9,1957, shows a knurled rod which moves on a geared surface. This self-gripping device is unsatisfactory because the rollers are in form of a geared surface and instead of gripping the tape spool, as the rollers in our invention do, the cogged teeth cut into the surface of the tape spool. This type of self-gripping device is unsatisfactory because it would damage the tape spool inner surface making a partially used spool hard to remove from the spool holder and hard to re-use when it is replaced onto another spool holder. We have found that the rollers used in our spool holder do not damage the inner surface of the spool and the gripping action created by them is very secure. The type of rollers and surface used in our tape spool holder make removal of the spool very fast and simple.

The object of this invention is to provide a tape spool holder that functions on simple efficient principles and decreases the time required in changing the tape spools in factories and in field installations where the operation calls for wrapping of objects in a set pattern.

Another object of this invention is to furnish a tape spool holder light in Weight with few moving parts.

Another object of this invention is to furnish a tape spool in which the tension desired is easily adjustable without applying tension on the sides of the tape spool self.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of the tape spool holder showing the complete assembly.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view showing the detail of assembly of the discs in the housing section of the tape spool holder.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View of the complete tape spool assembly.

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIGURE 3 showing the pressure plates with the handles attached.

FIGURE 5 is a view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 3 showing a roller in the recessed section of the shaft.

The tape spool holder is preferably manufactured from aluminum. However, other suitable metals such as bronze, stainless steel, or metals that have sufiicient strength and are properly coated to be weather-resistant are acceptable material of manufacture. In addition to fabricating the tape spool holders from metal, certain plastics which have sufficient strength such as Teflon, polyoxides, and epoxies can be used if the composition is such that it lends to machining to fairly close tolerance.

Our tape spool holder which we shall discuss FIGURE I consists of a housing 1 containing circular discs. The housing 1 is extended to form a tubular member 2, the surface of which is grooved 3 for 0 rings 10. On each of two sides of the tubular member is a recessed section 4 extending almost the complete length of the tubular member. The recessed sections are machined so that round rollers 5 grooved at 19 will roll in the machined recesses. The machined recesses are constructed, so that with little effort the grooved rollers will ride up to form a binding a Wedge between the recessed sections 4 and the surface of a spool placed over the tubular section. To secure the grooved rollers 5 FIGURE 1 from mis-aligning and to hold them properly in place, rings 10 are fitted in the grooved surface of the tubular member and around the grooved rollers FIGURE 1 so as to properly seat the rollers 5 FIGURE 1 on the machined recesses 4 FIGURE 1 of the tubular section 2 FIGURE 1.

Reference is made to the housing 1 in FIGURE 1 and sectional drawing of the housing in FIGURE 2. The outer circular surface of the housing as shown in FIGURE 2 is slotted at 16 on the inside at intervals to hold one set of alternate discs with protuberances in a fixed position. The other set of discs with serrated edges 13 are fitted to the intermediate surface of the hub by a matching serrated surface at 12 FIGURE 2. The top pressure pad 17 FIG- URE 2 does not have means to align other than by a spring 18 FIGURE 3 located between the pressure pad and the threaded pressure plate 8 FIGURE 1. The threaded pressure plate 8 FIGURE 1 is adjustable and is held in place by turning a clockwise direction onto a threaded hub 6 FIGURE lwhich is pinned to shaft 7 FIGURE 1. Located between the spring and fitted into the housing are ten discs, five of which have protruding means on the edges to hold them aligned in the housing section, five are held in place by a serrated surface as described above.

' Positioned over the discs is a pressure pad held in place by spring 18 FIGURE 3. Attached to the threaded pressure plate 8 are handles 9 for turning the threaded pressure plate into the threaded hub in adjusting the tension in the tape spool holder. The whole assembly, including the pressure plate, discs, pressure spring and the housing held firmly in place by a lock washer and bolt 11 attached to the end of the shaft.

Reference is made to FIGURE 1. The construction of the tape spool holder comprises a shaft 7 with means to attach it on a wrapping machine. Attached to shaft 7 by a pin is a threaded hub, the purpose of which is to attach the threaded pressure plate 8 with handles 9. By turning in a clockwise direction, the pressure plate 8 presses on a spring 13 shown in FIGURE 3. Below the threaded pressure plate and the spring is enclosed a series of discs in the housing 1 which extends in the form of a grooved tubular member 2. The housing and the tubular member are mounted on shaft 7 with a sleeve bearing and a roller bearing in the lower end which will release any thrust that may develop in the operation.

FIGURE 2 illustrates a section of the housing 1 showing the means 12 and 16 to secure the discs located in the housing. The circular discs are stacked alternately, the first set of discs 13 is prevented from sliding by inserting the serrated edge into the serrated surface at 12. The second set of discs 14 has a protnuberance 14 which fits into the slot 16. Pressure pad 17 is shown resting on the top of the stack below the spring referred to in the last paragraph just below the threaded pressure plate.

FIGURE 3 illustrates clearly the inner structure of the tape spool holder. The shaft 7 is shown with the threaded hub 6 pinned at 26 into the shaft. Also shown as 8 is threaded pressure plate with handles 9 in combination with the threaded hub 6. Directly under the threaded pressure plate is a circular spring 18 resting on the pressure pad 17 which is enclosed in the housing 1. The housing is extended out so as to form tubular section 2 with grooves 3 and held by screws 22. The tubular section 2 in combination with the housing 1 rotates freely around shaft 7 resting on a sleeve bearing 24 on one end and a roller bearing 23 on the lower end. The housing and tubular section 2 which rotate are secured behind a washer and a bolt shown as 11 fitted on to the shaft. 7

FIGURE 4 illustrates the position of the handles 9 in relationship to the center shaft 6 and the threaded pressure plate 8.

FIGURE 5 illustrates the tubular section 2 with the V recessed section 4. The roller 5 moves at 90 degrees to the center axis of the tape spool holder and is held in alignment by 0 rings in the grooves at 3.

Operation pressure plate 8 so it moves inwardly against the spring 18 FIGURE 3 in the housing section 6 FIGURE 3. The proper tension setting is determined by the degree of tightness you desire in the wrapping material on the circular body. To determine the tension, attach the end of the wrapping material either to or around the body to' be wrapped and start the wrapping machine. When the wrapping machine is started, the spool, depending on the amountof tension which has been set, will immediately take up and set tight to the tubular section ofthe tape spool holder. The degree of tension which will be required will depend on the binding strength of the adhesive in the spool of wrapping material if an adhesive is being used, or the tensile strength of the wrapping material itself if no adhesive is used. The amount of tension required will vary with the wrapping material being used, and it can be easily set by the fine adjustment available in our tape spool holder.

According to the present invention, novel quick acting gripping of the tape spool takes place on the tubular section of the tape spool holder when the wrapping machine is started. The combination of a gripping action on the spool and the tension which is set by adjusting the threaded pressure plate will cause the spool to bind securely on the tubular section. The gripping means is made effective by the rotation of the body to be wrapped moving in a coaxial lineal direction through the wrapping machine, the tape spool holders remain'mgin a stationary position in relationship to the wrapping machine. An alternate means of operation is to have movement of the tape spool holder attached to the wrapping machine in a circular direction while the body itself which is being covered moves in a lineal direction through the wrapping machine. When the wrapping machine starts, the spool of Wrapping material which has been previously attached to the surface of the cylindrical object causes the roller, due to its instant rolling action, to wedge between the spool itself and the recessed section of the tubular surface of the tape spool holder. The amount of tension is adjustable by changing the setting on the discs in the housing section. The tension can be decreased by turning the threaded pressure plate counter-clockwise. This increases the slippage of the discs passing over each other. To deonly on the combination of two operations: the wedging of the rollers in the recessed area, and the adjustment of the tension. The first operation is automatic with the starting of the wrapping machine, the second is a matter of manually adjusting the tension until the desired amount of tension is reached. When the machine is to be shut down, merely release the'tension and back off the spool, thus releasing the wedging action of the rollers.

We claim: a

1. In a wrapping machine, a tape spool holder adapted to apply a layer of covering material on a body comprising a shaft, a hub attached to and around the shaft, ,a pressure plate mounted coaxially with the said shaft and 3 fitted into the said hub, a rotatably mounted housing mounted coaxially with pressure plate, circular discs lying within the said housing coaxially with the said housing, a tubular section around the said shaft extending from the said housing, the said tubular section having recessed surfaces and rollers fitted to operate in the recessed surfaces of the said tubular section.

2. The tape spool holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inner surface of the outside periphery of the said housing is fitted with slots for holding the said circular discs in place and the outer surface of the intermediate periphery is serrated to hold serrated discs positioned between the first said discs.

3. A tape spool holder as claimed in claim 2 wherein the said tubular section is rotatably mounted on a sleeve member and a roller bearing, the said sleeve member and the roller bearing being coaxially mounted between the said tubular section and the said shaft.

4. A tape spool holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein a circular spring plate is positioned coaxially around the shaft between the said threaded pressure plate and the said circular pressure pad.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,122,627 12/ 1914 Milne 242 72 1,946,600 2/ 1934 Fondreau 242683 2,405,446 8/1946 Perrault 24268.3 X 2,798,678 7/1957 Dadd 24272 FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

N. L. MINTZ, Examiner. 

